This invention relates to a container or carton having internal partitions, and more particularly to such a carton which is self-locking and self-partitioning and wherein the side walls and the top, bottom, and internal dividers are formed from an integral blank.
It is often found necessary to provide cartons made, for example, of corrugated board or other sheet materials, and internally partitioned to provide packaging for breakable articles such as bottles, jars, or glasses. In many known cartons of this kind, the internal dividers are separate from the container itself, a feature which necessarily causes added expense in labor and materials. It also leads to the production of a carton of reduced stability and strength.
Heretofore, several cartons of the class of the present invention, having integral dividers, have been proposed. However it is a common failing of nearly all such cartons that the dividers, in order to interact in the required manner in the erection of the carton from the flat to the open condition, are not full length and only incompletely fill the planes between the separate cells. Locating divider material between the articles by providing full length dividers is particularly important when the articles do not have upright sides, but instead are tapered or bellied, as is frequently the case with glass bottles and the like.
Another problem with such prior art containers is their inability to tightly seal and lock the bottom of the carton and to secure it against opening under the stresses caused by the heavy weight of the carton contents. Further, many prior art cartons require the use of strapping tapes or adhesives in order to lock together the carton components to achieve the necessary stability and stacking strength.
Accordingly, it is the general object of the present invention to provide a multi-compartment carton assembled from an integral blank.
Another object is to provide a carton having dividers extending the entire depth of the carton.
Yet another object is to provide a locking feature which tightly secures the bottom of the carton.
A further object is to provide a carton which is easy to assemble without need for the use of adhesives or strapping tape.
A still further object is to provide a container having increased stacking strength.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention and the manner in which they are achieved will be made apparent in the following specification and claims.